Waynesburg University’s annual Baccalaureate and Commencement exercises will be held Sunday, May 3, on the campus of Waynesburg University. The celebration will honor approximately 730 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.

The Rev. Dr. Peter J. Paris, the Elmer G. Homrighausen professor emeritus of Christian social ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary, will serve as the Baccalaureate speaker. The Most Rev. David A. Zubik, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, will address the Class of 2015 as the Commencement speaker.

Baccalaureate services will be held in Roberts Chapel at 11 a.m., and Commencement will be held on the front lawn of Miller Hall at 2 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the Commencement ceremony will be held in Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

Families are encouraged to arrive early, as the Commencement processional begins approximately 20 minutes prior to the ceremony.

Both the Rev. Dr. Paris and Bishop Zubik will be honored during the Commencement Ceremony with honorary degrees, Doctors of Humane Letters, for the ways in which their lives and personal missions relate to the mission of Waynesburg University.

Rev. Dr. Peter Paris

In addition to Princeton Theological Seminary, the Rev. Dr. Paris has also taught at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, Tenn., Howard University School of Divinity in Washington D.C., Union Theological Seminary in New York City, N.Y., and Harvard University Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. He has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from both Boston University and the Society of Christian Ethics.

He has been elected to several national offices, including the presidencies of the American Theological Society, the Society of Christian Ethics, the Society for the Study of Black Religion and the American Academy of Religion.

The Rev. Dr. Paris has published several books including “Black Religious Leaders: Unity in Diversity;” “The Social Teaching of the Black Churches;” “The Spirituality of African Peoples: The Search for a Common Moral Discourse;” and “Virtues and Values: The African and African American Experience.”

He has authored numerous academic journal articles and book chapters and edited several books. He is the general editor of a series with New York University Press on religion, race and ethnicity, and he continues to lecture and teach widely throughout the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, India and Brazil.

The Rev. Dr. Paris was ordained in the African United Baptist Association of the Atlantic Baptist Convention of Canada and has served churches in various roles in addition to his present role on the Freedom and Justice Advisory Committee of the Baptist World Alliance.

The Rev. Dr. Paris completed two degrees at Acadia University and earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Bishop David A. Zubik

Bishop Zubik was ordained a priest in 1975 by Bishop Vincent M. Leonard at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh. In 1997, he was consecrated a bishop at Saint Paul Cathedral and was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

In 2007, he was named the Twelfth Bishop of Pittsburgh by Pope Benedict XVI and was installed at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh.

Previously, he was named associate general secretary and chancellor of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and on January 1, 1996, became vicar general and general secretary bishop, a position in which he served until his appointment as the eleventh bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay.

He has also served as parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Parish, vice principal of Quigley Catholic High School, chaplain to the sisters of Saint Joseph Motherhouse, chaplain to the students at Mount Gallitzin Academy, adjunct spiritual director at Saint Paul Seminary and associate spiritual director at Saint Vincent Seminary, among other roles.

Bishop Zubik holds an undergraduate degree as well as a master’s degree in education administration from Duquesne University and a degree in theology from Saint Mary Seminary and University.

Beginning in the fall of 2015, Waynesburg University will offer a new master’s degree in Criminal Investigation.

“The master’s degree in Criminal Investigation is a 30-credit program that will distinguish our University from many others in the region that offer graduate level courses beyond Criminal Justice, Criminology or Police Administration,” said James Tanda, instructor of criminal justice at Waynesburg University.

Criminal Investigation is a 500 level graduate program for professionals and students who have completed the requisite undergraduate courses in Criminal Justice Administration or have comparable training, skills or professional experience relating to the field.

The program consists of courses such as Advanced Criminal Investigation, Advanced Crime Scene Investigation, Advanced Interview and Interrogation, Research in the Justice System and Effective Criminal Profiling.

Students pursuing a master’s degree in Criminal Investigation will learn about ethical decision-making and leadership in the field as well as build upon their interview and interrogation skills.

“This unique blend of advanced level courses from each discipline creates an exclusive opportunity for students, police officers and other professionals in the field to obtain a Master’s Degree in Criminal Investigation, not offered anywhere outside of Waynesburg University,” said Tanda.

The Criminal Investigation courses will be offered at Waynesburg University’s main campus as well as the Southpointe, Monroeville and Seven Fields centers. Select courses can be completed online.

Waynesburg University will celebrate its 166th year and the 165th anniversary of its charter by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tuesday, March 24. The convocation will be held in Waynesburg University’s Roberts Chapel at 11 a.m. The public is cordially invited to attend.

“Each year on Charter Day, we reflect upon the University community and its traditions of faith, service and academic rigor,” said Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee. “For 166 years, our students, faculty and staff have established lives defined by leadership and service. This is a time to celebrate the profound impact they have had on the world.”

Bishop Loran E. Mann, founder and senior pastor of the Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ, will address those in attendance. The Rev. Dr. Mann’s ministry spans more than forty years and includes spiritual, educational, social and recreational components.

Bishop Mann is actively involved in the worldwide ministry of the Church of God in Christ. In April of 2000, he was appointed Commissioner of Television for the denomination by Presiding Bishop G.E. Patterson. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the General Assembly, the legislative branch of the church.

In March 2005, Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell appointed Bishop Mann as a member of the Pennsylvania Public Television Network Commission. This commission and his oversight establishes policy for all public television stations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Bishop Mann began global ministry in 2005 when he established the Worldwide Gospel Network to provide religious programming via internet around-the-clock, seven days-a-week.

A respected former broadcast journalist, Bishop Mann received numerous awards over his twenty-one year career as News Anchor/Reporter for WPXI-TV, Channel 11, the Pittsburgh affiliate of NBC.

Bishop Mann attended the University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing further studies in religion at Liberty University.

In 2010, Waynesburg University awarded Bishop Mann an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his desire and commitment to live out his dreams as they relate to his God-given talents and serving others.

Laura Ellsworth was elected to the Waynesburg University Board of Trustees during the September 2014 board meeting. She will begin her new term in February of 2015.

“We are excited to welcome Laura Ellsworth to the Board of Trustees at Waynesburg,” said Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee. “Her heart for service and extensive background in leadership and workforce development align with the mission of Waynesburg University.”

Named one of Pennsylvania’s “Best 50 Women in Business,” Ellsworth practices as a partner at Jones Day, an elite international law firm. Since joining Jones Day in 1992, she’s practiced a wide range of complex commercial litigation including high-profile, multi-jurisdictional product liability and bankruptcy cases.

She has been involved extensively in electronic discovery and currently serves on the Jones Days’ e-Discovery Committee. Mrs. Ellsworth is Partner-in-Charge of the Jones Day Pittsburgh office.

She has been named one of the best lawyers in America for commercial litigation and was recognized as a "leader in her field" by Chambers USA in 2009. Ellsworth was recognized as a "leader in the law" by the Legal Intelligencer and as one of the top female litigators in Pennsylvania by Pennsylvania Law Weekly.

Ellsworth received a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was a University Scholar, a contributor to the Law Review and a recipient of the Order of the Coif.

She serves as the vice chair of the board of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and on the boards of the Governor’s appointed Council on Privatization and Innovation and the Allegheny Conference on Economic Development.

Ellsworth works closely with the Imani Christian Academy as a board member and co-teacher. Imani Christian Academy began in 1993 as an alternative to public education, with 30 students in a single-family house in Swissvale, which is east of Pittsburgh. The vision for Imani was born out of a desire to create a learning environment free of violence and focused on developing positive self-esteem in children, with Christ as the center and foundation of their education.

Mary Ann Meloy was elected to the Waynesburg University Board of Trustees during the September 2014 board meeting. She will begin her new term in February of 2015.

“We are very pleased to welcome Mrs. Mary Ann Meloy to serve on to the Waynesburg University Board of Trustees,” said Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee. “Her broad experience, intelligence and enthusiasm will be a great asset to the University.”

A resident of Pittsburgh, Pa., Mrs. Meloy is a widely-recognized specialist in the areas of government affairs, public affairs and media relations. She possesses vast experience at the federal, state and local levels of government.

Serving on President Ronald Reagan’s staff as associate director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, Mrs. Meloy represented the President of the United States to a broad cross-section of special interest constituencies and other national and international organizations, as well as the national media. Coordination with all White House Offices, all agencies of the federal government and with members of the Congress were essential to this role.

Mrs. Meloy’s public service includes the responsibility for the direct administration of two major departments of government in Pennsylvania: Deputy Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Aging. She also served on the Pennsylvania State Tax Equalization Board; the State Healthcare Coordinating Council, of which she was the Chair of the Plan Development Committee; and was a founding member of the board of the Keystone State Head Injury Foundation.

She has completed the Governor’s Senior Management Development Program at the School of Urban and Public Affairs at Carnegie Mellon University.

Mrs. Meloy is married to Walter D. Meloy, a Pittsburgh, Pa., businessman, and is the mother of two daughters and grandmother of two grandsons.